Hotbodies Undertail Experience & Installation Guide

[wvninja]

***********Update***********

Videos added of day and night operation:
Daytime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UpP-oyjSjc
Nightime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szmkjRe1Hxk


So far I've had a few people ask me how hard/easy the installation is of the new Hotbodies Undertail. I also know from first hand experience just how sad the instructions are (really they tell you nothing) I thought I'd outline a little about the installation and throw up some pictures for everyone.

First things first you open that box from UPS/FEDEX/Whoever that you have been so patiently waiting for. When you pull out the new fender eliminator you'll see its a pretty simple design.

Top:


Bottom:


I decided to go ahead and leave the platic clig wrap to further prevent scratches while installing it. (You will notice a film not shown above stuck to the bottom side of the undertail do not peel off just yet.)

Next you need to start taking apart the rear tail section. This has been covered many times on this forum so I will just leave it at that. You should be able to remove your tail section if your even thinking of attempting this.

Once you have removed everything but the original undertail which should now be floating in the air.



Now its time to begin cutting (yes this is the scarry part). I used a drywall saw with a metal blade attachment and a box cutter to smooth up the edges. I say why not, no one will be able to see it after the new undertail is installed on top of it. Some have said using a dremmil is easier. The instructions give you a guide line but its not very easy to see. Here is a guideline I used while cutting the origonal undertail section.



Once you have cut this section out on the original undertail the new hotbodies undertail should now fit into place and push up to the bolt holes that held the original undertail into. But before actually screwing it on we need to do some more cutting not shown in the instructions. You maybe able to shove your tail light into the new undertail but I seemed to have trouble with gaps everywhere by doing this method. So I grabbed my saw and started cutting more.

View of my rear tail light from inside the seat:


as you can notice you can see clear through the undertail. I found that the section the light held up against originally was just putting way to much pressure on the rear tail light. So it came off! Now you may ask ok so what keeps the light from moving out of place. Once you have everything fitting in smoothly (or at least in the right spot go ahead and secure it to the bike. I added some extra support to the bikes undertail so that the rear light would not move and for peace of mind. I took a drill and drilled two holes so that I could put bolts through the undertail and secure them to the plate that held the original fender.

Placement of Bolts from the bottom:


Where they come through inside the seat:


Now its time to wire everything up which the installation guide they give you says nothing about it. You will need 2 8ohm resistors (I had to get mine from radioshack for I believe around $2.50 US a piece).



You will need to wire them as pictured:

Green and red one side / Yellow and black other side

*note it really doesnt matter which side you do this on as long as you have the same wires on both side meaning +(positives) together -(negatives) together.


Once you have those wired up you should be able to now turn on the bike (no need to start it) and test your turn signals. If you have no signals you've wired something wrong. If they are blinking on the wrong sides in the rear that means you wired them up backwards (yes I did this and wanted to facepalm).

Once I wired them I found a good place to tuck them:



Last but not least you will need to either hook up the license plate light or install LED license plate bolts. I went with the license plate bolts because they are brighter and lets face it look way cooler :-P. So I broke out the drill once I had mounted the license plate to the new undertail to find a place to put the wires up through to underneath the seat.



And then wired them up to the factory harness so that I could simply plug it into the same line as the brake light.



So now everything should work and you should be the proud owner of a new undertail. Now your bike is sexy .. well almost as sexy as mine but not quiet






* Notes
Installation took around three hours with a friend and myself. We were shooting in the dark as the instructions where horrible so we didn't have much to go by. Hopefully this guide can help you with the little sections I had trouble figuring out what to do next. I really enjoy the new look of the undertail. I get complements on just how nice it looks. It was well worth the time spent installing it. I had no special tools besides something to cut the plastic, a socket / wrench set, some tape and good ol fashion elbow greese. Comments welcome and good luck if you plan on going this route.

[Alex]

Howdy! I see this DIY for this install already up here:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42661

I'll put a link to yours from there.

[wvninja]

Originally Posted by Alex

Howdy! I see this DIY for this install already up here:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42661

I'll put a link to yours from there.

Yeah I wanted to add a few things because this is the new style (covers up tail light) instead of the old style that just went around it. I also threw it up so I could just send people here if they wanted to know info on it.

[glenjamin1982]

Nice job on the DIY. I know there is already one out there put props to you anyway. The more info out there, the better.

Just watch out for big bumps / holes on the rode. I have the same undertail and my plate was roughly in the same position as yours. I must have went over a huge hole because my rear tire bent my plate and the brackets. Luckily there was no damage to the undertail.

[mikecronis]

Wow, way easier than the Competition Werks version.

[Spork]

I wanted to get the version you have that covers up the tail light but now I'm not sure if I still want to. Can you post up a video or pictures of how it looks (the tail light) in action?

[wvninja]

Sure I'm at work so it wont be until way later today. I will try to make a video both during the day and night. I'll say I ride a lot with friends and I have been told that during the day you cannot really tell my brake light is on (running light) but you can tell when I hit the brake. At night it is still very bright.

[Spork]

Thanks. I just really liked the smoked version at first but I wanted to see it in action and such. Also, a lot of people were having a major sag issue with this specific under tail, did you have the same issue? Was that covered by the bolts you installed? I don't want to have a big gap under my rear seat.

[wvninja]

Originally Posted by Spork

Thanks. I just really liked the smoked version at first but I wanted to see it in action and such. Also, a lot of people were having a major sag issue with this specific under tail, did you have the same issue? Was that covered by the bolts you installed? I don't want to have a big gap under my rear seat.

The sag is due to the fact that the rear brake light is wedged in there. It pushes out and down causing the gap. I think this was a problem with the old version of the undertail as well. Perhaps the gap was not as bad as it didn't cover the entire brake light? (my guess) Yes the 2 bolts helped pull up the gap and they are only noticeable to people when I point them out. From 5 feet away from the bike you don't even see them. I also decided to do this so I would feel more comfortable having this secured to the bike because if you follow the directions directly there are only really 2 bolts holding this thing on from near the rear foot pegs. (look at the bolt right behind the rear brake fluid cap) Now I feel confident that it secured at both the top and bottom.

[Spork]

Ok thanks for clarifying. Much appreciated. Im probably going to steal your idea and use extra bolts to fix the sag and also for added stability if I get the undertail.

[wvninja]

np I'll make the vids tonight when I get home and GL with the install. I love it and its def worth every penny and drop of sweat.

[Spork]

Sweet and thanks again.

[wvninja]

Here is the requested video of the tailight in operatoin during the day. Excuse my wv twang and shotty cam work. I will have the night time video uploaded as soon as it gets dark here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UpP-oyjSjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szmkjRe1Hxk

[welcome2thedawn]

thanks for the tip on trimming that piece behind the tail light...i am on my second undertail...learned some lessons doing it the first time around, but i don't think i would have cut into that piece...it looks like you replaced the screws that attach the small black plastic piece, and the sides of the tail to the frame....the pieces that the screws screw into...that are surrounded by rubber, broke off...i tried to hold them as tight as i could, with needle nose pliers, but the rubber ended up being stripped off....wondering if you bought some different nuts?

[wvninja]

Sorry for just getting back to you. I didn't buy any extra bolts for that installation. I believe the bolts used came with the kit and I believe you are referencing the bolts I circled in red? If that is what you mean those bolts came from the origonal tail that was taken off and I drilled two holes that are not outlined in the installation notes (i added them). The two bolts that are suppose to hold it on are already in place on your factory (the two lower bolts) and those seemed to work without problem. The two added bolts were added because I noticed a somewhat "gap" between the seat and the new tail. I thought well if the top were more secure then there would be no gap thus I drilled two holes from the top down through and added the bolts for extra support. In doing this it also helped to raised the new undersection to remove the gap from the tail seat. Hope this helps and if not include some pictures or further explaination as to what you were talking about.

I also cut that amount out because without doing so the kit just seemed to be way to tight. There was no give and it put a lot of pressure on that plastic. I thought if I were to have something come up and hit it (say a rock) because it was so tight it would just put a hole in it or crack the entire thing. I was worried about cutting that amount out but once I did I was glad to see that the tail light did not move at all inside. Not only did it not move but by adding the two extra bolts not listed in the normal installation I knew without a doubt that it had no where to go inside the new tail section (the tail light) and that it would look better (no gap).

[welcome2thedawn]

i was actually referring to the two bolts above the ones circled, the silver allen head bolts...the part that those screw into is just held on by rubber that surrounds a copper threaded piece...mine came off, probably from unscrewing them a few times....i ended up just getting some new nuts and bolts, what a pain to try and hold a bolt in that small recessed space under the black plastic piece

[wvninja]

Originally Posted by welcome2thedawn

i was actually referring to the two bolts above the ones circled, the silver allen head bolts...the part that those screw into is just held on by rubber that surrounds a copper threaded piece...mine came off, probably from unscrewing them a few times....i ended up just getting some new nuts and bolts, what a pain to try and hold a bolt in that small recessed space under the black plastic piece

LOL I agree.. you'll note thats why I dont have any in there HA... GL

[S.R.G.]

I just bought this kit and saw somewhere where you don't have to trim away at the original undertail, is this possible?

Also, I was wanting to know, the extra bolts you used, did you drill from the top down?

Thanks!

[welcome2thedawn]

you do have to trim...otherwise it won't fit....when i drilled the holes for the license plate, i drilled from the bottom up

[danjaho]

I purchased this undertail as well and have been following this post step by step to install it. i just have a few questions.

how did you get your passenger seat to fit. i see you put bolts in front of the LED signals from gaps.. is that the gap issue you had? i saw someone else's thread and they had put foam underneath then he said it was sagging because he didn't get the license plate brackets (which i did not either). did you still have that gap issue after you installed the brackets? that is if you had that issue at all?

[opc]

Hi Guys,

I just spent the better part of last night installing the smoke see-through Hotbodies undertail kit on my red 2009 250R, and I have a few comments, notes and pictures on the install that might be worthwhile to those who are either considering buying one, or have one they need to install.

I'd like to start off by expressing my general discontent with the really poor fender eliminator kits that exist for the 250R. I looked into pretty much everything available, and they're all more or less crap. It's either poor fit and finish, or the need to mutilate your stock fender. To add insult to injury, they also cost an arm and a leg for what they really are, which is usually a poorly made piece of sheet metal for $100. I wasn't willing to settle for any of those options, and that's what led me to the undertail kit.

The Hotbodies undertail kit isn't really exempt from the above though. The fit and finish isn't anything to write home about, and the installation instructions are absolutely laughable. They tell you about 5% of what you actually need to know to install the undertail correctly. In comparison though, the undertail kit actually looks like it's worth the $116 price tag, and the finished product is a world better than the cheap stamped steel options out there. It's a really clean look when it's finished.

I suppose my biggest problem is how much better the undertail kit could have been if they had put a little work into it. They could have scrapped the smoke and colored options, and just done a matte black one that would have replaced the entire stock part, rather that just sit below it. That would have saved weight, made for much easier installation, and it would have allowed them to fix some of my major pet peeves with the 250R, namely the little cargo compartment that lets all your stuff fall out. They could have easily molded all the inner features of the stock tail part, along with their clever indicators and license plate light into one drop in replacement. That's something I would have gladly spent $200 on.

Instead, I found myself jimmying a piece of plastic where it really wasn't meant to fit, sitting below a now useless second layer of stock plastic. The fit and finish around the tail light was poor and required quite a bit of messing around to get it right.

On a positive note though, I managed to fit everything without having to cut any of the existing stock parts on the bike, and the finished product does look very slick. The wiring for the indicators and plate light was easy as pie (with the help of those who posted here about their experiences), and the general mechanical fitment was pretty decent. The way that the tail light just "wedges" into the new undertail was probably the weakest point of the whole design, and I actually ended up cracking part of the Hotbodies tail piece trying to get the tail light jammed in there.

I've attached some pictures of the before, after and during stages of the install.

For the wiring, I chopped the stock wires off of the stock turn signals and license plate light about 4" from the stock parts. That left the stock connector with a good amount wire on the ends, along with the plastic sheathing. I used 10 ohm 1/2W resistors in series on each of the turn signals, and that trick worked like a charm. They're bright, and flash at the same rate as the stock parts. There's no need to use the giant 10W resistors I've seen some people use, as anything over 1/2W will do just fine. I soldered all the joints, taped with electrical tape, and insulated with blue heat shrink.

I also used the two bolts up through the undertail and into the outermost bolt holes in the frame, just as wvninja did. This prevented sagging and made the fit around the tail light much more secure. Just line it up and drill the two holes.

I hope this helps other looking to do the same thing, and at the very least, should provide a few more pictures of the assembly procedure.

Cheers,
Owen

[shiroganeshinobi]

Originally Posted by opc

Hi Guys,

Instead, I found myself jimmying a piece of plastic where it really wasn't meant to fit, sitting below a now useless second layer of stock plastic. The fit and finish around the tail light was poor and required quite a bit of messing around to get it right.

On a positive note though, I managed to fit everything without having to cut any of the existing stock parts on the bike, and the finished product does look very slick. The wiring for the indicators and plate light was easy as pie (with the help of those who posted here about their experiences), and the general mechanical fitment was pretty decent. The way that the tail light just "wedges" into the new undertail was probably the weakest point of the whole design, and I actually ended up cracking part of the Hotbodies tail piece trying to get the tail light jammed in there.

Owen

Did you just say you dont need to cut the original undertail with the compartments? I'm very curious now. I'd planning to install mine this weekend but I'd rather not cut that piece if this can be crammed in decently.

[opc]

Hi shiroganeshinobi,

That's correct, there's no need to cut the original plastic undertail. It actually fits just fine over top the old part. I did drill two small holes to run the turn signal wires through, but that's all I had to alter.

The only thing you may need to do is slightly file down the two tabs on the original tail light module. The new undertail basically holds the old tail light module in place by wedging it between the end of the new undertail and the frame of the bike. If it fits too tight, you may need to file it down a touch, but that part is internal, and can never be seen even if you revert back to stock.

The way I did mine, I could easily put everything back to stock with nothing more than some re-wiring.

Cheers,
Owen

[opc]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick update with some better daytime pictures of the finished product. The weather hasn't been all the great here lately, but we had one nice day two weeks ago when I managed to snap and few pictures and then get out for a ride.

There are also some shots of the inside showing how the tail light module fits in, and a few of the outside showing that there really aren't any fit issues when you leave the stock undertail un-cut.

Cheers,
Owen

[jackxlee]

Hey i have a problem connecting the signal light undetail. for some reason i connect the wire now when i switch the signal left or right both side blink. remove what i install but still both side blink (front signal light). does anybody know what wrong?

[kenji_808]

u need to wire in diodes to both sides of the leds for into work properly.

heres a diy on how to do it
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...&highlight=led

Or u could do what i did and keep the stock blinkers and just splice the led turn signals into the stocks... i did this since i needed the oem dot approved signals to get my base stickers

[joes280]

I installed the exact same undertail and didn't have to cut the stock one either. And i think it fits fine.

[Liquidtoon]

Same here Joe, I did the no cut as well. I added the two screws similar to what Opc has in his pictures to get rid of the sag and looks just fine.

[CZroe]

Dude, we can see your plate number in the reflection and the impression from behind. Why bother obscuring it?

[opc]

Due Diligence?

What is it?

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by opc

Due Diligence?

What is it?

What is what?

[phr3ek]

Originally Posted by opc

Due Diligence?

What is it?

Originally Posted by CZroe

What is what?

i say what what in the butt

i think he means "what does due diligence mean?"

it means research, plain and simple

[opc]

i say what what in the butt

I forgot all about that video! Epic...

What is what?

I meant "what is my number plate?". I took a pretty good look at those pictures, and I know you can see some reflections, but I wasn't able to make out what it actually is. You should go all CSI and prove me wrong.

By Due Diligence I just meant basic responsibility. It's generally not good practice to publish photos of your LP online, so I made a reasonable effort to obscure the plate. Simple as that.

Cheers,
Owen

[cskin02]

Wat is the best way to fix the sag in the undertail

[opc]

Hi Caleb,

Take a look at the first picture in post #24. Use two bolts to bolt the new undertail to the frame at the two circled locations.

This completely eliminates the sag, and makes for a much more secure fit to the bike. You'll be able to see the bolt heads on the undertail, but if you use black bolts with a low profile head, you'll never notice them.

Cheers,
Owen

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by opc

I forgot all about that video! Epic...



I meant "what is my number plate?". I took a pretty good look at those pictures, and I know you can see some reflections, but I wasn't able to make out what it actually is. You should go all CSI and prove me wrong.

By Due Diligence I just meant basic responsibility. It's generally not good practice to publish photos of your LP online, so I made a reasonable effort to obscure the plate. Simple as that.

Cheers,
Owen

I was talking about Nate/wvninja's plate. It's obvious even though he obscured it... no CSI experience required.